Micro Carry

First of all, this isn’t my fault. Former Editorial Director and fellow conspirator here, Mike Humphries, sent me a photo of a tiny NAA revolver in a pocket holster, along with a teeny knife and light with a note, “Check-out my micro-carry rig.” I detected a certain amount of gloat in his tone — so it got me to thinking. I thought it was a fun idea — and even a little cool — but wouldn’t admit it to him. Time to fight back, though.

Does any of it even make any sense? And if not, should that stop me? Might it still lead to an interesting set of ideas or a conclusion I might not otherwise have arrived at? Who cares — let’s do it anyway.

Nosing around, I discovered there’s a big community of people who share photos of what’s called their “Pocket Dump.” That’s a photo of a set of goodies they carry with them as part and parcel of their Every Day Carry gear load. Google it and you’ll find thousands of pictures loaded with some pretty amazing ideas. The experience made me think maybe Mike was onto something. I know, I know … I was surprised too.

To keep it simple, I invented four categories. We’ll call ’em “Micro, Mini, Medium and Mondo” — the last is a sort of no-holds barred division, including .50 AE Desert Eagles if you like.

The Results

This all caused me to take a hard look at what I carry regularly — and evaluate it. Even if I wouldn’t actually carry a “Micro” rig alone, it did make me think hard about what was in all the categories.

Micro:

The NAA small revolvers are a natural here. Streamlight’s MicroStream, the Tuff Writer “Micro” Clicky pen, Spyderco Dog Tag folder and Kirk Rexroat neck knife make up a pretty tidy bit of pocket punch. The holsters are made by Thad Rybka and each has a pouch holding six rounds. Some things, like the MicroStream, stay in my pocket regardless of the category.

Mini:

Now we’re edging into practical things. The Ruger LCPII (and spare mag), SureFire 650 Lumen Stiletto, Swiss Army Executive folder, a keychain light, bigger pen (Tuff Writer again), a folding knife (Kershaw) and a cheap magnifying glass (Handy, try it!), handles the “Mini” chores. In all honesty, this is literally my “Pocket Dump” I actually took out of my pockets to use in this picture.

Medium:

This one gets pretty fluid for me. Chances are good I’ll have a coat on so would put another light in my pocket like this newish Streamlight ProTac. I might change the knife out depending on my mood (I like the prying end on this Kershaw), the pen is by Hinderer and the gun is a S&W Shield 9mm. Or it might be a Kimber Solo if I’ll be pocket carrying. The holster is a Bianchi model 101 Foldaway handling just about any semi-auto you can imagine. Keep in mind, I likely have the Swiss knife, magnifying glass, etc. along for the ride too.

Mondo:

I’d call this my “serious” winter outfit. A coat or outer garment covers the goods here. My “most-reached-for” Mondo-gun is this lightweight (aluminum-framed) 5″ .45 from Les Baer. He only made a few about 25 years ago and I snapped one up. It handles and shoots like a steel gun but it’s a delight to carry. The holster is a bit of sublime enjoyment from Red Nichols in Australia. Truly one of the finest bits of holster-work I’ve ever seen or used.

The folder is by Kershaw (I really like their affordable line-up lately), the LCPII is along, a bigger Swiss knife (or some sort of pocket tool), a heavy duty pen by Tuff Writer (nice people there), a magnifying glass, that SureFire Stiletto light, and I’ve taken to carrying a classy small fixed blade by Spartan. It tucks in right at the waist and you don’t know it’s there. Loaded for bear here? That’s the whole idea.

Common Threads

The “gun/light/knife” combo is always there, usually augmented with some other goodies. Some things carry over into each category, some just live in one. Some version of the “Mini” gear is honestly on me all the time, regardless of what I’m wearing. The guns may get bigger, and I might add a light or tool of some sort, but I think I’d consider the “Mini” category as the benchmark and build up or down from there.

There’s always a pen too. It’s not necessarily because it’s “tactical” (at times I carry a collectible art pen simply because we can’t live by bread alone) but because my dad always told me: “A gentleman should always have something to write with, a pocket knife and a clean hanky to loan to a lady.” I added some sort of gun to the equation as time passed — and dad approved.

I always have one from each category with me, every day. And you should too.

Send us a picture of your own “Pocket Dump” and we’ll publish it on our facebook page! Send ’em to: [email protected].